[Gail White]

Here is something that has been bothering me. I was taught that the proper way to make a comparative statement is "Her sister is taller than she (is)." Now it seems to be the rule to say "Her sister is taller than her." I have seen this so many times that I can no longer write it off as one author's or editor's ignorance. Does anyone know when this change happened and why? Or have I always been wrong?
Thanks--

[Roger Slater]

I don't know. I agree there is some laxness in the rule, but "taller than her" sounds a bit crude to me. But "taller than she" sounds stilted. I think I generally find myself saying "taller than she is," including the verb just to make it clear that my choice of pronoun is correct.

[Maryann Corbett]

To get a feel for the variety out there, try googling, "comparisons with 'than'." Here's one such result. Scroll down to the box that says "Taller than...?"

[Duncan Gillies MacLaurin]

"It is she" is only used in the most formal of social contexts (unless used mockingly). Likewise, "I am taller than she." The conjunction, 'than', is used as a preposition: "I am taller than her."

Another feature I see disappearing is the use of the comparative in this example: "Which of you two is the taller?" Where the grammatically incorrect "Which of you two is the tallest?" is the preferred version in most social contexts, as the correct version is deemed too pedantic.

O tempora, o mores!

Duncan

[Gail White]

Great website, Maryann. Everything's on the net if you only know where to look.

Yes, Duncan, mores are changing. I expect to go to my grave as the last person to bother making a distinction between "lie" and "lay".

[John Whitworth]

But Roger, you're fatter than me. I mean you're not fatter than I, are you?
And could anyone say you're not as fat as I?

[Ann Drysdale]

John - pop a verb in and suck it and see. You are fatter than me am? I don't think so. Whereas your not being as fat as I am is not only grammatical but true.